Fortinbras is the Norwegian crown prince in Shakespeare's Hamlet , whose father (also named Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet's father in a duel. Fortinbras serves as a foil to Hamlet: while Hamlet is contemplative and hesitant about avenging his father's death, Fortinbras is decisive and takes swift military action to reclaim lost honor and territory. By the end of the play, after the Danish royal family is dead, Fortinbras arrives to take control of Denmark, symbolizing a hopeful future and the restoration of order.
Fortinbras's role also highlights key themes in the play such as revenge, action versus inaction, and political stability. He contrasts with Hamlet by acting quickly and purposefully to avenge his father's death, while Hamlet struggles with indecision. Hamlet even admires Fortinbras’s "divine ambition" in one of his soliloquies. Fortinbras's arrival and assumption of the Danish throne at the play’s conclusion mark the restoration of political order after the tragic chaos.
In summary, Fortinbras is a minor but crucial character who parallels Hamlet as a fellow prince motivated by filial revenge, yet symbolizes the power of action and the hope for political restoration.
